Head Coach Joan Bonvicini: “Jessica (Arnold) had the rhythm and the feel for the game tonight. She broke the game open with her spark, emotion and fire.”

“Shannon Hobson played her best game as a Wildcat tonight. She just keeps getting better. Tonight was great for her confidence.”

“Our bench is much better that one year ago. We didn’t do too bad for the first game of the season.”

“Give Saint Mary’s credit though, they never backed down.”

“We need to keep our intensity and defend the threes better. I’d also like to get to the free throw line more often and make more of those shots to get our percentages up.”

“I try not to pressure the freshmen too much. The main thing I told them is to play good defense.”

“It’s not about the winning streak here at McKale. I just want to take one game at a time and make this a tough place to play.”

“We are much more versatile than last season. Our bench is deeper, the returnees are better and the freshmen are very athletic.”

Freshman guard Jessica Arnold: “Tonight was not bad at all. I think we came out with intensity from the get go and kept on going.”

“We had some practices between tonight and the exhibition games that we played which gave me an opportunity to become more comfortable with the plays. It’s coming together.”

“Coach B said we needed to shoot better from the three-point line. I haven’t always been a three-point shooter. The coaches are working with me on a quick release. In high school you didn’t need a quick release, but in college with people coming at you, you have to get it off.”

Sophomore forward Shannon Hobson: “We just wanted to come out and play Arizona basketball, not caring about the score, just play.We played Arizona basketball that is a fast-pace game.”

“We’ve been working on our pressure a lot. We wanted to stop them or at least slow them down.”